Tony.A.
[GO Moderator]
2731
New class of students at the “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking
New class of students at the “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking
Fresh talent for a centuries-old craftsmanship
For
them, a new way to think about time: Last week, fifteen newly arrived
apprentices took up their studies at Glashütte Original's “Alfred
Helwig” School of Watchmaking. They will focus on two major areas of
interest: along with twelve students of watchmaking, three future
toolmakers are looking forward to their initiation into an art that is
both modern and rich in tradition at once. The new arrivals were offered
a warm welcome at a festive inaugural event in Glashütte.
The
newcomers bring the number of apprentices learning their trade at
Glashütte Original next year to more than 40. They follow in the
footsteps of some 250 successful graduates who began their careers here
in the years since 2001. In their first few days the members of the
class of 2018 were introduced to the persons responsible for their
training, and to characteristic features of the school. They also gained
inspirational insight into the past and present of their craft, thanks
to tours of the German Watch Museum Glashütte and the Glashütte Original
manufactory.
This year's class is a colourful mix, as diverse as
the tasks that await them: young women – five watchmakers-to-be and one
future toolmaker – and young men from different regions in Germany
chose the renowned training programme at Glashütte Original. One new
student in particular, however, had to overcome a daunting challenge in
order to join her classmates: an applicant from Taiwan had to sit a
special examination in the German language before she could register for
her apprenticeship at the renowned watchmaking school. Having cleared
that first hurdle, she can now look forward, along with her 14 new
colleagues, to taking the future of the art of watchmaking into her own
hands.
To
secure the future of the craft, the Glashütte watchmaking industry has
always placed great importance on comprehensive theoretical and
practical training. Aware of its responsibilities in this regard,
Glashütte Original committed to continuing this tradition with its own
“Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking. In bright, well-lit classrooms,
experienced instructors take advantage of state-of-the-art technology to
pass on their tradecraft to their students.
Tomorrow's watch and
tool experts also take part in a regular series of hands-on training
sessions in selected departments of the manufactory, where they learn to
make practical use of the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
Thanks to the school's partnership with WOSTEP (Watchmakers of
Switzerland Training and Educational Program) the young graduates can
also earn, in addition to their German leaving certificate, a Swiss
diploma – thus opening up international career prospects.
In the
coming months Glashütte Original will present its exceptional training
programme to the public, once again in a variety of ways, so that in
August 2019 the school can again welcome a great number of
highly-motivated young people to the start of a new school year:
·
Detailed information about the apprenticeship and application
procedures for the watchmaker and toolmaker professions can be found on
the manufactory's internet site in the section listing current job
openings (http://www.glashuette-original.com)
·
Representatives of the school will be on hand for the
“Education Action Day” at the Dresden International Chamber of Commerce
on 22 September 2018.
· Persons interested in the “Alfred
Helwig” School of Watchmaking and attractive opportunities in the
watchmaking industry may wish to visit the school on October 20, 2018
for its “Open House” information day.
· The school will
also attend the “2019 KarriereStart” education and training fair, set
for 18‑20 January 2019 at the Dresden Exhibition Centre.
New class of students at the “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking
